Norfolk State vs Gonzaga Pick: West Region Round 1, March 20th

Norfolk State vs Gonzaga Pick – Saturday, March 20th – West Region Round One: Norfolk State defeated Appalachian State 54-53 tonight to earn the MEAC Champions a chance to face overall #1 seed, Gonzaga, on Saturday night. Junior guard, Bronx, New York native Jalen Hawkins was spectacular. He came off the bench to go 8 of 13 from the field, 4 of 5 from three, and score 24 points, with 5 rebounds. On the season, he was the Spartans’ 3rd leading scorer at 9.4 points. Leading scorer Senior Devante Carter had a terrible night going 1 for 10 from the field for 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, but he cashed his only two free throws of the night with 8 seconds left to get Norfolk State the win. On the season, Carter averaged 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. The other Spartan to average double digits is Junior guard Joe Bryant Jr who went for 10 points, 4 rebounds in the win. Norfolk State averaged 75.2 points per game on the season, hit 43.6% from the field, 36.8% from three, and 70.6% from the foul line.

〉More March Madness Betting: Missouri vs Oklahoma

Gonzaga comes off as one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history. Since Kentucky in 2015, they are the first team to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated. In 26 games, only one team came within single digits of beating them – West Virginia lost 87-82 in Gonzaga’s 3rd game of the season back on Dec 2nd. The Zags did receive a scare in the West Coast Conference Final when BYU led at the half 53-41. Gonzaga outscored them 47-25 in the 2nd half to win the Conference and the game 88-78. The Bulldogs score 92.1 points per game and allow 69.1. They defeated teams by an average of 23 points this season. 6’7 Senior Corey Kispert leads the Zags in scoring, averaging 19.2 points, and hits 44.4% from three. Right behind him is 6’10 Sophomore Drew Timme, who averages 18.7 points 7.1 rebounds. Freshman Guard Jalen Suggs is next, averaging 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Joel Ayayi rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game. They hit an extremely impressive 55.1% from the field, 36.5% from three, and 72.7% from the stripe.